About the Trail
The National Road Heritage Trail
(NRHT) of Henry County is a
proposed 20-mile, crushed stone trail
extending from eastern to western
Henry County. Opened in August of
2009 with the 1st Annual Treading for
Trails 5k Run/Walk, the NRHT
currently has approximately four
miles of completed trail between
Lewisville and Raysville with
trailheads in each town. To complete
Phase I of the three-phase trail plan
and thereby connect the two existing
sections of the NRHT, land between
the Lewisville and Raysville
endpoints must be acquired and
developed. Total project costs to
finish Phase I of land acquisition and
Phases II and III of land acquisition
and development are projected to be
approximately $4 million.
The Benefits of Trails
Trails and greenways provide a vast
array of benefits to a community
including opportunities for physical
and mental health improvement,
safe environments for recreation,
conservation of natural landscapes,
economic revitalization and
improvement of community identity.
To learn more about these and other
benefits, please visit
www.railstotrails.org.
Healthy Communities
of Henry County
P.O. Box 921
100 S. Main St., Suite 102
New Castle, IN 47362
[email protected]
www.hchcin.org
The National Road
Heritage Trail
of Henry County
The National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT)
Trail Construction & Development
Construction and development of the NRHT
in Henry County consists of three potential
phases of land acquisition and development.
Upon completion, the NRHT will be a 20-mile
multi-use crushed stone trail extending from
Henry County’s eastern to western
boundaries. It should be noted that the
project’s immediate focus is to construct and
develop the 13-mile section of trail from the
east side of Knightstown to 1.75 miles east of
Lewisville.
Currently, Phase I of land acquisition is
incomplete with a portion of trail between the
two open sections in Lewisville and Raysville
yet to be acquired and developed. Phase I of
trail development, however, has been
completed yielding approximately four miles
of crushed stone trail west of Lewisville (2.3
miles) to just west of County Road 25W and
east of Raysville (1.75 miles) just west of
County Road 425W.
To ensure the completion of Phase I of land
acquisition and maintain the currently
existing sections of the NRHT in Henry County
for one year, Healthy Communities must
obtain approximately $12,500 in local funding.
Similar funds will be needed to complete each
subsequent phase of construction and
development to supplement Transportation
Enhancement Program funding and state and
local grant monies.
Trail Use
The NRHT, being a multi-use recreational trail,
lends itself to many different physical activities
including walking, jogging, running and biking.
Additionally, the trail can be used for nature
observation and artistic expression such as
wildlife viewing, bird watching, photography
and painting. Potential equestrian
opportunities are also available upon further
development of the trail.
As the NRHT consists of a crushed stone
surface, the trail is not suitable for road bikes,
rollerblading or the like. It should also be noted
that all motorized vehicles are prohibited on all
parts of the trail.
Trail Support
To show your support for the recreational trails
system being constructed in Henry County, the
most important thing you can do is get out and
use the trails! Tell your family, friends,
coworkers and anyone who will listen how the
trails benefit you and your community.
Additionally, we need financial and volunteer
support from trail community members.
Without local ownership of the trails,
construction and maintenance are difficult to
continue. Interested in becoming a member?
Contact the Healthy Communities office for
more information. Interested in volunteering?
Help us maintain the trails by signing up for
regular trail maintenance, reporting damage to
the trail and surrounding area to the Healthy
Communities office or by simply picking up a
piece or two of trash as you’re on the trail!
For more information please contact:
Keshia Atwood, Executive Director
Healthy Communities of Henry County
[email protected]
765-524-4675